On Treasury
by picklgirl
Summary: The sky pirate has laid his eyes onto a new treasure, but will he be able to get what he wants? Should he ever get it, will he be able to maintain it? Balthier/Vaan Rated T for later chapters, might even turn into M.
1. Playing in the Sand

**A/N: I'm getting so addicted to this site! That's why I'm uploading another story. Taking a big risk here .. it isn't a oneshot Ö  
But I really want to improve my writing and all .. and this has been on my computer for quite while now. So I figured, why not ^^;  
Anyway, since I'm still writing it, I have no idea how the story will develop. But for now: enjoy! **

**Main pairing: Balthier/Vaan **

**Rating: T, just to be sure .. might turn into an M later on, we'll see .. **

**Disclaimer: Balthier, Vaan and the entire world of FFXII belong to Squeenix.**

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_Chapter i: Playing in the sand  
~~~_

Balthier dragged himself forward; the dazzling heat of the sun had exhausted him. How long had it been since they had left the City of Rabanastre? The man had lost all track of time. The desert they waded trough seemed to stretch on endlessly. Balthier hated it and he would probably never get used to it. The never-ending heat, the sand that crept everywhere, ...

The man sighed and used the back of his hand to wipe away the little pearls of sweat that had formed on his forehead. He took a quick glance at his Viera companion who was walking at his right side. He knew that Fran wasn't having as much problems as himself. The Viera kept surprising him from time to time. Although they had been together for the past few years, Balthier still wasn't able to fully understand her. Vieras were creatures full of mysteries and to unravel them all would take more time then one man's life.

Balthier focused back on the road ahead. Not that there was a road, just more sand ...

"Marvelous idea there, captain." Balthier said while he wiped away the sweat again. The man he was talking to was walking a bit in front of him.

"You know," Balthier continued, "Us sky pirates have a reason for not crossing the desert on foot, but flying over it instead," he complained.

He wasn't the type of man you could call lazy, but an airship could take you anywhere, and it was a couple of times faster as well. The man -Basch- walking in front of him rolled his eyes because of the sky pirate's muttering.

"We also have a reason of being here on foot," Basch replied, not looking at the pirate. "Training." he concluded.

Balthier sighed again, "Then why can't we train on the Giza Plains? At least it isn't so hot over there," he mumbled trough his teeth.

Fran had heard him 'though, "It is the Rains now in Giza, which would be even more wearying."

_"I'd give anything for some refreshing water, so the Rains sound more attractive than this pool of sand,"_ the pirate thought.

Basch had heard Fran's answer and could've easily guessed what question the pirate had asked. "Besides, it's better for the boy here anyway," he added.

_"Ah, the boy ..."_Balthier said to himself.

This boy, whose name was Vaan, was a street orphan, like so many in the royal city of Rabanastre. Balthier had met him the night the Insurgence assaulted the castle, during the consul's banquet. When they just met, Balthier thought of him as a nosy little brat, but the more time they spent together, the more Balthier's feelings for the boy started to change. It wasn't the first time such a thing had happened.

With his short brown -and always perfectly modeled- hair, his chestnut eyes, his lightly tanned skin, his slender body and fitting clothes, all topped off with a playful smirk dancing around his lips, the sky pirate was eagerly wanted. He was a tease and not afraid of a little adventure. He had fallen in love before, but as a sky pirate he lived for his freedom. The difference this time was that it was _him_ who longed for someone unreachable.

It was Basch who dragged Balthier back to reality: "Where is that kid anyway?" he asked no one in particular.

A little while earlier, Vaan had run off, because he wanted to prove them that he could defend himself well enough on his own and didn't need any further training. As a boy of Rabanastre, Vaan could stand the heat quite well, so he laughingly had taken off. The others had no choice but to follow his trail.

The answer to Basch's question came soon enough when they had conquered another sand dune. The blond haired Rabanastran was standing next to a dead animal. When he caught sight of his followers, he proudly waved at them. When Balthier came nearer and he saw the wide smile on the boy's face, it made him skip a heartbeat.

"I said I could do it, didn't I!?" Vaan said, full of himself. Basch nodded and said something to him.

The sky pirate closely looked at the blonde. On his face little sweatdrops had formed and he was panting softly. Bits and pieces of sand had manifested them on his arms. How badly the pirate wanted to hold him is his arms and tell him that it were these little things that made his feelings for him grow even stronger. Balthier let his eyes dwell over the blonde's face again. It were those typically boyish aspects that made the older one nearly go crazy with desire. How surprised he was when those deep blue pools stared back at him.

Vaan had nearly caught him off guard, but Balthier wasn't that easily overthrown; he always had some sort of answer ready. "It's only a wolf. Besides, who said that he wasn't already dead when you arrived here?" the pirate said while he smirked once again.

It pained him that he had to keep up this attitude, but he also knew _-or was it just hope?-_that Vaan found his remarks quite funny.

The blonde laughed and crossed his arms, "Well, I haven't seen you killing anything either today. What could that mean?"

Balthier rolled his eyes and straightened his cuffs, "Oh please Vaan, it's too warm to be playing little games."

_"That coming from me,"_Balthier said to himself. He looked at the Rabanastran, who was still grinning.  
_"Curse that boy, he's starting to know how to get to me." _the sky pirate realized. When challenged, he wasn't one to give up easily.

With faked irritation, he got out his gun and aimed it at one of the various beasts that lived in the area. A cockatrice, standing 10 meters away from them, would do. Balthier took a deep breath and whispered, "Don't let me down Altair." Then he pulled the trigger and the fraction of a second later, the cockatrice fell down. The brunette closed his eyes for a second and thanked that he had such a steady hand. He turned around, putting his gun away and grinned while he looked at Vaan.

"Pretty good ... for an Archadian." the teen replied.

Balthier was indeed born in Archadia, his looks gave him away on that one too. But he wasn't a bit interested in the war that his country was involved in. As longs as he had his wings, nothing could get to him. Just like any other sky pirate, he had a new city to call home: Balfonheim. It was the place where all pirates made port and enjoyed their drinks.

Meanwhile, Fran was looking anxiously around, "The fiends have responded to your challenge, it seems."

Basch nodded in agreement, "We better hurry back to the city."

The boy on the other hand, wasn't agreed with this decision, "Hey! We came here to do some training and if the fiends are handed to us on a silver platter, then we should take use of that!"

"Training also involves knowing when you need to flee." Basch said wisely as he put a hand on Vaan's shoulder, "There'll be time for fighting later." The blonde decided to agree on this one.

The party started to head back to the Royal City of Rabanastre. Balthier closed their ranks, muttering to himself. Basch's hand on the boy's shoulder, that could've _-should've-_been his hand. He shook his head, why did Vaan make him feel so shy, so weak? It was an aspect of himself that Balthier wasn't familiar with.

The sky pirate would be happy to get out of this giant sandpit.  
"I need a shower ... and some Madhu." he mumbled as he felt the sun burning.

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**A/N: That's it for the first chapter! Not much happened, but I'm still busy getting into the story myself XD;  
Review addict! Contructive critique most welcome~**

_Reviewing is just the same like eating a cake someone baked for you; you tell them what you think of it. It's impolite stuffing it entirely into your mouth and then leaving without saying a word .._  
**Got it? Got it! ;)**


	2. A Drunken Man's Dream

**A/N: Here I am, with chapter 2~! I hate making up titles for chapters .. I really do. It's the hardest part of the entire story XD; **

**_I want to thank everyone that has reviewed on the first chapter. Your kind words mean a lot to me ^^  
_  
Anyway; on with it .. **

**Disclaimer: Vaan, Balthier and all the characters that live in Ivalice belong to Squeenix.**

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_Chapter ii: A drunken man's dream  
~~~_

When the party finally had reached the gates of Dalmasca, they had parted ways. Fran had headed to their airship, the Strahl. She decided to give the mechanical Nono a hand with his reparations. Where Basch had headed to, couldn't interest Balthier. The only one that did interest him had disappeared trough a passageway that led to the nest of Rabanastre's poorest. The pirate felt no urge to follow the boy to Lowtown, it would only draw more attention to himself. Which he could miss, after their breakout from Nalbina. Besides, what would he say to Vaan anyway?

The sky pirate headed for the Sandsea, the local pub. Which was quite deserted at this time of the day. He walked up to the bartender and asked if there were any rooms available. After asking around a bit, the man took him upstairs and showed him an empty room. The pirate thanked him and closed the door behind him. He looked around the room. It wasn't much bigger than his sleeping compartment in the Strahl, but since he wouldn't need to share the room with someone else, it wasn't a big deal.

Balthier unbuckled the belts on which his gun and ammunition hung. He put them on the little table that stood next to the bed. After which he carefully took off his rings and bracelets and put them next to his weapon. He locked the room's door and headed for bathroom. It was even smaller then he had imagined, but it was no wonder. Being in a city in the middle of the desert, he was happy enough to even have the opportunity to take a shower. The pirate undressed himself and threw his clothes onto the bed. He opened the shower's faucet and stepped underneath the rain of water drops that fell down. Balthier wanted to wash away the Estersand. Too bad his feelings couldn't be washed away as well.

He hoped that the Strahl's reparations would be done soon enough, so that they could leave for other places. The brunette wondered what the boy would do if he'd take off. Would he come along with him? Probably. Since it was his greatest dream to fly an airship. Vaan and him, together up in the sky; wasn't that what he longed for? "_Of course Fran'd be there as well ..."_he thought to himself as he turned the faucet off and stepped out of the shower. But she wouldn't mind. It wouldn't surprise him if she already knew about his feelings. Vieras weren't stupid, Balthier knew that much.

He grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his hips. Slowly, he walked towards the only window that the room had and opened it. Rabanastre's noises arose from below him. He could even smell the faint odor of roasted food that came from the Muthru Bazaar. "Still, nothing beats being in Balfonheim," he whispered to himself with a small smile on his lips. Balthier put his clothes back on and sat down on the bed. The brunette decided to take some rest, days like these made him tired.

When Balthier opened his eyes again, the room was bathing in moonlight. He stood up and looked outside the window again. The burning sun from earlier that day had now traded places with a cold breeze. Voices came from the tavern beneath him. The pirate wettened his lips with his tongue; he was thirsty.  
Balthier tied his belts back onto his waist, he wouldn't want them to get stolen. The brunette yawned and walked out of the room.

As he was descending the stairs to the bar and passed by the upper part of the Sandsea, someone shouted his name. Balthier turned around and saw Basch sitting at one of the tables. "Care to join?" he was asked by the man.

The sky pirate nodded, "My pleasure," he answered as he sat down.

"Madhu?" Basch asked, the pirate nodded again.

The former signaled to one of the waiters and shortly afterwards, the two men were each holding up a glass of Bhujerban Madhu. Balthier gulped the liquor down his throat right away, making the elder man raise his eyebrows. While Balthier ordered a new glass, he had to laugh at Basch's reaction.

"I always presumed you were a man of frill manners and not one to be drinking his Madhu so untoughtful," Basch said with a grin on his face.

The brunette waved his words away, "When you spend some time in Balfonheim, you learn to combine the two," he said with a wink.

Basch laughed, "Of course, what else to expect from a pirate." Balthier nodded as he drank from the new glass of Madhu that had appeared in front of him, as ever, with a smirk around his lips.

The two men were soon interrupted by a blonde teen who had appeared at their table. Basch was ordering a new set of Madhu, "Make it three!" he told the waiter while Vaan sat down.

"So it is true that the sewer rats only come out at night," Balthier joked around. He hoped that he wasn't being too rude. If he was, then at least he had a proper excuse, for Madhu wasn't exactly what you could call a light refreshment. The teen wanted to say something back, but he was interrupted by the waiter bringing their drinks.

Basch and Balthier both emptied their glasses right on the spot, but Vaan took a careful sip of his liquor. _Payback time_, Balthier decided.

"What's the matter boy? It isn't your first drink is it?" the pirate asked curiously.

"Of course not! I've had stuff like this before!" the blonde replied furiously and emptied the rest of his glass the way to two elder man had done. Balthier had to laugh at the face the boy had to make. He was trying his best to hide his disgust for the Madhu, it was easy to notice. How the pirate loved this naivety.

After some more drinks, Basch thought that he'd had enough for one evening, so he left. "See you in the morning," Balthier said. By this time, the pirate had found out that it was Vaan's first drink after all. Turned out that he couldn't hold his liquor. "_No surprise on that one,_" Balthier said to himself as he took another sip of his own drink. The blonde had traded his chair next to Balthier for the dancing stage. Not that the Sandsea had a stage, it was just an empty spot next to the place where the musicians stood. The pirate was highly amused by Vaan's funny movements. He wasn't the first drunken dancer this pub had seen, so no one seemed to care about it.

Now that Basch had left, he didn't have to divert his attention anymore. So all he was doing was looking at the boy and taking the occasional sip from his drink. Balthier closely watched Vaan's every movement. The blonde hair that jumped up and down, following the young one's dancing. His arms that occasionally circled around his head with a sudden grace, that the pirate had not expected. The deep blue eyes that sparkled with joy. The drunken smile playing around his lips. The sky pirate could go on watching him forever.

A sudden rumor got him out of his trance. The musicians had stopped playing and angry voices came from the crowd below. Balthier stood up and leaned over the railing to get a better look. Two men had started fighting. Glasses had fallen into pieces and laid shattered onto the floor. Too late, the pirate had realized that one of the two men was his blonde angel. "Vaan!" he screamed out loud as he ran towards the stairs. Pushing people aside, he made his way trough the crowd. The brunette managed to get the fighters apart with the help from the tavern owner. The man who had started the fight was still shouting and spitting on the floor.

"It's okay Vaan, let's go outside," Balthier whispered in the boy's ear as he put his arm around the blonde's shoulder and guided him out of the Sandsea.

When they sat down on a bench in front of the pub, Vaan seemed to relax a bit more.  
"Are you alright?" Balthier asked him with honest concern.

The Rabanastran nodded. At least he didn't seem to have any bruises. The boy tried to stand up again, "I feel like another drink," he mumbled, not even able to sit up straight.

"That's enough liquor for you boy," Balthier said as he frowned his eyebrows a bit, it seemed the kid was pretty wasted.

The blonde sighed and let his head fall onto the brunette's shoulder. The latter's hart started beating faster. He'd never had been this close to Vaan before. He could easily hold him, touch him and even kiss him. "_Would I dare to take advantage of him?"_ The question went trough the pirate's mind. How strange he had never asked it himself before, all those numerous times he went to a bar, got drunk and ended up waking next to another person.

Would the brunette take the risk? What if Vaan remembered everything that could happen, how would he explain it to him? On the other hand, what would he do if the boy remembered nothing? Would _he_ be able to act like nothing happened or would he long for more? The sky pirate's mind was filled with doubts.

It would've been now or never. If Balthier would let this chance slip away, he might regret it forever. He slowly turned his body towards Vaan, who tilted his head back up. The pirate looked him in the eye and carefully put his finger under the boy's chin. He had to try hard to prevent his hands from shaking, _god how nervous he was_. It was as if everything happened in slow-motion. The pirate slowly moved his head towards the boy's and right before their lips touched each other, he closed his eyes. It was a small and tender kiss, but it was enough for Balthier to want Vaan even more. The boy didn't really kiss him back, but he didn't push him away either. When their lips parted, the pirate opened his eyes. The blonde had a surprised look on his face, as if he couldn't fully grasp what just had happened.

Balthier stroke caringly with his hand over Vaan's jaw line, even if it was a one-time experience, he would never forget it. "You should go and get some rest," the brunette whispered. The blonde teen nodded vaguely while he stood up and started stumbling in the direction of one of the stairwells that led to Lowtown.

The pirate had a smile on his face while he lay down on his bed.

In the darkness, he mumbled to himself, _"Nothing more than a simple desire. A simple dream."_

**

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**A/N: That's all for the second chapter. I hope you liked it!  
I wasn't too sure about how I would end it. I thought it was a bit too obvious if Balthier took Vaan with him to his room x3 Don't want to go into that direction just yet ;)  
Stay tuned for more ..!**

_Reviewing is just the same like eating a cake someone baked for you; you tell them what you think of it. It's impolite stuffing it entirely into your mouth and then leaving without saying a word .._  
**Got it? Got it! ;)  
**


	3. Meeting the Strahl

**A/N: Tadaa~ Here's chapter 3. Again, nothing really special happens here. Just warning you not to keep your hopes that high up XD  
And since I wanted the lot out of Rabanastre I followed the storyline (I'm not sure if I'll continue like that .. but for now, I will). So tad bit of spoilerism between your return to Rabanastre (from Barheim Passage) and your leave for Bhujerba.**

_**Everybody who has reviewed on the previous chapters: Thank you very much!  
Special thanks go to TsumeLover666: 'cause you became a little stalker and I'm always looking forward to your reviews! ^^**_

**Disclaimer: From Balthier's little toe to the dirt on the floor of the Strahl's cockpit: FFXII is owned by Squeenix.**

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_Chapter iii: Meeting The Strahl  
~~~_

When Balthier opened his eyes, the sun was already shining bright. He's had a night of perfect rest. The pirate stood up and calmly put his clothes on. It seemed that he was quite a bit less stressful, as if some burden had fallen off of his shoulders. He wondered if last night had something to do with that.

Balthier was putting on his belts when someone knocked on the door. _Is it him?_With a slight tinkle in his stomach, the sky pirate hasted himself towards the door. He cleared his throat and while he opened the door, he took a deep breath.

"Balthier," his visitor said.

The brunette sighed, it was only his co-pilot. "What is the matter, Fran?" he asked her.

The Viera shook her head, "You would better see so yourself," she answered as she nodded in the direction of the stairs that led to the tavern downstairs.

"Right then," Balthier answered as he closed the door behind him and started following Fran.

When he had descended the stairs, he was greeted by a Bangaa, whom he had never met. "You're Balthier right?", the lizard-like man asked him.

Balthier nodded, "Yes, that would indeed be me."

The Bangaa pulled a sheet of paper out of his pocket, "This was found at the door of my shop this morning. I think you might want to read it."

Balthier frowned his eyebrows, curious about the words that stood on the paper the Bangaa gave him. While he sat down at the nearest table, he read what it said: _"We've got Penelo. Come to the Bhujerba Mines. Ba'Gamnan."_ The sky pirate sighed as he put down the sheet, "It's a misunderstanding," he muttered softly. _"That idiot of a Bangaa must have gotten the wrong idea when he saw me talking to that girl," _the pirate thought while he balled his fist.

"That poor girl! Kidnapped by some awful thieves. They're sky pirates as well I presume ... your lot is definitely not to be trusted .. argh!" The shopkeeper said to Balthier, who waved the words away with visible irritation.

The pirate shook his head, "They're not _from my lot_. As I said, it's a misunderstanding."

The Bangaa clearly wasn't satisfied with this answer, as he furiously retorted: "Misunderstanding!? What I am understanding is they took Penelo because of you!"

Right at that time, the pirate saw a familiar looking blonde teen walking in: Vaan. _Impeccable timing._ He was accompanied by youngster had clearly overheard the conversation he was having with the Bangaa, because he came running up the stairs, "What? What about Penelo?"

The shopkeeper turned around, "Oh, Vaan! They've taken Penelo! And there was a note - a note for this Balthier! Come to the Bhujerba Mines, it said." Vaan frowned his eyebrows.

Fran noticed that he couldn't quite grasp the entire situation, "It's Ba'Gamnan. He was also in Nalbina." The youngster slowly nodded his head, as a sign he understood.

The shopkeeper wasn't planning on leaving the subject undecided, "If anything were to happen to that sweet child - why, I've her parents' memory to consider! You're going to go to her aid, and that's that! It's what you sky pirates do, isn't it?"

Balthier had enough of that Bangaa's muttering. He sat up straight and looked the shopkeeper in the eye, "I don't respond well to orders," the sky pirate said warningly. It seemed he was able to surprise the lizard for a second. The pirate somewhat relaxed and leaned backwards in his chair again.

Vaan, who had been silent the entire time, suddenly looked Balthier in the eye, "Fine, then I'll go! Just get me there and I'll find Penelo myself." The boy was talking serious. He meant every word of what he said.

It was the first time after their kiss, that Balthier and Vaan made eye-contact. The pirate couldn't figure out if Vaan had any memories of the night before. It did seem that the boy cared a great deal for _this Penelo_. Balthier sadly realized that they might be more then just friends.

"I'll join you. I have some business there as well," Basch's voice sounded trough the sky pirate's thoughts.

The teen had the Goddess's magicite in his hands. It was the treasure Balthier and Fran were after, but the boy got there before them. The night they had met, in the Royal Palace. Vaan was holding out the stone to the pirate, "Balthier, just take us and this is yours." His eyes were nearly begging. _"If that girl means so much for him, then so be it. A true sky pirate must know when to admit defeat,"_the brunette sadly decided. He stood up and walked towards Vaan.

Carefully, Balthier put his hand on the boy's shoulder, "That stone is worth nothing compared to what I _truly_desire," he said softly. Vaan obviously had no idea what the man was talking about, hence the confused face. Balthier had to smirk and tapped on the teen's shoulder, "Make yourselves ready, we leave soon."

The pirate walked out of the Sandsea, with Fran in his trail.

"What is it that is bothering you, Balthier?" Fran asked her partner who was walking in front of her. He didn't gave her an answer, her company alone was sufficient enough. The pirate wasn't much of a talker anyway.

"Is it the boy?" his co-pilot asked him. And she obviously knew what was going on. "You should tell him, Balthier," the Viera suggested.

The pirate shook his head, "I can't." he had to admit. The duo entered the aerodrome, which was as crowded as always. Airships transporting passengers and foodstuffs throughout Dalmasca and Archadia departed and arrived here.

"What are you afraid of?" Fran asked the brunette, who was wandering in thoughts again. "It is not like you to behave in this manner."

Balthier grinned and waved the remark away, "Oh please Fran. Me? Afraid? I thought not."

On the contrary, Fran wasn't that far from the truth. It was that blonde Dalmascan teen that made his heart beat faster, that sent chills down his spine, that made his logical reasoning to malfunction. And the pirate cursed himself for not being able to do something about it. Balthier was never a man to lay his feelings out in the open, he learned as much as that over time. So instead of telling the truth, he decided to keep his mouth shut for the time being.

Not long after the sky pirate and his co-pilot had entered the aerodrome, Basch and Vaan arrived there as well. Balthier greeted them with a little nod.

"We're ready," Basch answered the pirate's unspoken question.

Balthier looked at Vaan, "Well, let's save your girl and be done with it. Come on." the brunette said lightly.

The trio headed for the hangar where Balthier's airship stood. With a big arm gesture and an even bigger smile, the pirate proudly introduced the two men to his most dearest possession, "This is the Strahl."

Balthier looked at Vaan again and grinned, "She enough airship for you?" he asked him, although he already knew what the answer would be.

The Rabanastran boy eagerly pushed past Balthier and ran up to the airship. He stared at it, with his jaw dropped, "_The Strahl_. You really are a sky pirate!" The blonde said, smiling. Balthier walked past him, right up the stairs to enter the ship. "So, is she armed? How fast is she? Could she take the _Ifrit_?" Vaan obviously couldn't control his curiosity.

Balthier had stopped at the top of the stairs and was watching Vaan. "_Again that innocence of his_," the pirate mumbled to himself. That naivety of which he isn't aware off himself.

The brunette smirked while he crossed his arms, "I suppose I could tell you, but ... wouldn't you rather see for yourself?" He signed Vaan to follow him and turned around to go into the cockpit.

The sky pirate walked straight to his pilot chair, Vaan on his heels. Balthier cleared his mind as he sat down; he had to concentrate. The Strahl was a pickle girl after all, so he couldn't afford being careless. The pirate sighed and looked at his co-pilot, "Fran, our course." She immediately responded to her captain's command.

"The shortest way's over Dorstonis," the Viera answered.

Meanwhile, Basch walked in, "How flies Bhujerba?" he asked while leaning on Balthier's chair.

Balthier let out a small laugh, "Oh, she's free as can be, for now. The Empire took notice when they announced the Princess' suicide and your untimely execution."

Basch knew that he was in an awkward position; "If it becomes known that I am alive, the Marquis will lose their favor," he said as he sat down on the empty chair behind Fran. "I try to steer clear of such things," the pirate answered while he pushed some buttons.

After he finally had completed the procedure for the airship's take-off, Balthier looked over his shoulder at Vaan, who was still looking around, admiring every part of the airship. The pirate saw the look in the boy's eyes and it made him smile that he could at least make the kid feel happy this way.

Balthier didn't want Basch to start suspecting something because of the way he looked at Vaan, so he wiped the smile of his face. The sky pirate cleared his throat, "Right. It's time to fly. And no wagging tongues or you're like to bite them off." Vaan immediately sat down in the chair behind Balthier and anxiously bit on his lip.

"Rabanastre control. This is The Strahl, asking for permission to leave doc four," Balthier spoke trough the microphone that hung next to the control panel. Shortly after, the answer followed, "Strahl. This is Rabanastre control. Permission granted. Have a safe trip."

And so the company took off in the direction of the sky city of Bhujerba.

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**A/N: I hope I haven't dissapointed you too much ^^; I promise the next update will come sooner, finished writing it already (and if I may; it'll get interesting :3 .. no, not thát kind of interesting XD Just wait and see!) .. **

**Oh, and I love Bhujerba. So they might be stuck there for a while ^^; **

**[[And I'm having trouble giving the other characters a place in the story .. ehh .. T_T; ]] **

_Reviewing is just the same like eating a cake someone baked for you; you tell them what you think of it. It's impolite stuffing it entirely into your mouth and then leaving without saying a word ..  
_**Got it? Got it! ;)  
**


	4. Intermezzo

**A/N: Yes, yes .. another chapter! "So soon", you say? "Ja", I answer! But it's quite a bit shorter. So I found a super original and fitting title XD  
But in return, I might upload another chapter this week (that's like .. 3 times a week?) because I'm back at my dormitory and I should be studying. But heck, who does that? XD;;**

_**Everyone who has reviewed on the previous chapter(s): Thank you very much!**_

**Disclaimer: FFXII is owned by Square Enix, yadda yadda yadda ..**

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_Chapter iv: Intermezzo  
~~~_

Balthier turned the auto-pilot on and stretched his arms. A yawn escaped from his mouth as he turned his head over to his co-pilot, "Fran, I'll hand her over to you for a moment. I'm going to show our guests around," he said with a lazy look in his eyes. The soft murmuring of The Strahl's motor always made him a bit drowsy.

The pirate stood up and looked at Vaan and Basch. _First at Basch, only a quick glimpse, and then at Vaan, more intriguing ..._ "Right, if you would follow me," Balthier said to his passengers. The three men walked out of the cockpit and into a small hallway. He stopped at the first door, "This is my room. If there is something wrong or you need to talk ... Anything ..." _Again that look in Vaan's direction._ "You know where to find me."

They took a couple of steps and stopped at the next door. "This is Fran's room. Just stay out of here," the pirate said warningly.

He pushed the door, opposite to Fran's, open and stepped inside. "And this is your humble quarters," Balthier said with a grin. It was quite humble indeed. The room was large enough for two beds to fit in and nothing more.

Vaan obviously wasn't pleased with the fact that he didn't have a room for himself, "That's not fair! Why do we have to share a room?"

Balthier crossed his arms and looked at the boy, "Because," the pirate simply explained, the grin still dancing around his lips. He walked back into the hallway and closed the door behind him.

"And this is our kitchen, well ... sort of." Balthier said as they entered the last room. "We have enough food for about two weeks, so feel free to take anything you like. Should we run out of something, let me know." He wanted to leave the room again when Vaan pointed at another door at the far end of the room and asked what it was. "That's our bathroom. But don't expect too much of it," he somewhat waved the question away.

"Now then, I'll be returning to the cockpit. Do whatever you like, just don't break anything." Balthier announced, those last words directing towards Vaan.

Balthier left the kitchen and returned to the cockpit, deep in thoughts about if he did the right thing by putting Basch and Vaan together in one room. _"Getting jealous are we?"_ he thought to himself.

He was about to open the door to the cockpit when he heard someone calling his name. How surprised he was when he saw it was Vaan. "Mhmm?" the sky pirate asked, trying to order his mind as quickly as possible. Vaan and him, alone in the hallway. What would he want to say? Balthier felt cold sweat running down his back, _"Keep calm,"_ he said to himself.

"Eh, Balthier, I ..." the boy started. The way he hesitated, how he fumbled with his fingers, how he was staring at the floor. _Was he about to confess something?_

"I ... I wan-ted to ..." A soft pink blush had appeared on Vaan's cheeks.

The sky pirate was eagerly waiting for what the boy wanted to say. "Get it over with, boy. I haven't got all day," Balthier said with feigned irritation.

The boy carefully looked up to Balthier, nervously biting on his lip. "I ... I wanted to thank you." He said softly, "For taking me along on your ship."

The sky pirate was pleasantly surprised by his words.

"It means a lot to me ... so, thanks," Vaan repeated himself.

The pirate smiled. Not one of his grins, but a warm and honest smile. How he wanted to hold the boy. Kiss him. Tell him that he wanted him all for himself. But instead Balthier just simply said, "You're welcome," and he turned around to re-enter the cockpit.

Still quite dazed, he sat down on his chair again. Fran raised an eyebrow, "Is something the matter?" she asked her pilot. The pirate vaguely shook his head as he turned off the auto-pilot. For a moment there, he had thought that Vaan was about to confess something else. Balthier couldn't stop thinking about the way the boy had been acting. He was too nervous to just say something as stupid as "Thank you." There had to be more behind his behavior.

"I'm just imagining things," Balthier mumbled as he tightened his grip around the steering wheel.

"What are you imagining?" the Viera asked. The sky pirate was wondering if he should ask Fran about it, but he could handle his own problems. Besides, what if Vaan or Basch would overhear their conversation.

"Hrmm, nothing Fran. How long do we have before we reach Bhujerba?" Balthier subtly changed the topic.

The Viera accepted the fact that once again, he didn't want to talk about his feelings. She looked at the computer and did some quick calculations, "If we maintain our course and speed, then it should take about a day."

The pilot sighed, he hadn't been in the sky city of Bhujerba for a while, so he forgot how long it took to get there.

* * *

**A/N: How I love teasing you guys around XD Anyway, I PROMISE (yes, that needs to be stated in capital letters) that next time something really interesting will happen -wink- Because I love you readers so much :3 (I want to upload it already, that's how much I care about you XD But I won't, 'cause I .. just won't ..)  
See you in the next chapter!**

_Reviewing is just the same like eating a cake someone baked for you; you tell them what you think of it. It's impolite stuffing it entirely into your mouth and then leaving without saying a word ..  
_**Got it? Got it! ;)**


	5. A Sky Pirate's Treasure

**A/N: Here's chapter 5!! I don't know, next updates will probably take some time again, because .. even 'though I like writing this story, at the moment it feels like I'm rushing things a bit too much .. like, I have the feeling I want "to get over with it". But I don't! XD;; So, just that you know ^^**

**I have a bit of an evil mind, so yeah .. :D**

_**Special thanks go to Masantine**_ _(thanks again for correcting the mistake on the numeral thing ^^)_**_ and TsumeLover666 for being my loyal reviewers ^^ Keep doing so, I love your comments! :D  
But of course: thanks everyone who has read my story so far (but is too evil to review XD)_**

**Disclaimer: From the Nabreus Deadlands to Mt. Bur-Omisace; the world of FFXII and it's inhabitants are owned by Square Enix. **

_

* * *

  
Chapter v: A sky pirate's treasure  
~~~_

Balthier pressed the auto-pilot button again and yawned while he stretched himself. The trip so far was going smoothly and they were past halfway. "Time for a nap," he mumbled, half to himself, half to Fran. The Viera nodded, she understood how hard it was for the hume to fully concentrate for such a long time.

The sky pirate dragged himself towards his cabin and shut the door behind him. He unbuckled his guns and let himself fall down on his bed. A sigh escaped from his mouth. It didn't take long before the pirate fell asleep. Only to be woken shortly afterwards by a loud bang on his door.

The brunette had no intention of getting up, why didn't they give him a moment!?

_"Balthier!"_

When the pirate heard his name, his eyes opened immediately; it was Vaan. Although he spoke in whisper, it had sounded urgent. Balthier wasn't planning to let such a chance slip away; he was a sky pirate after all.

He got up and went to open his door. It was indeed the blonde teen who was standing in front of him. "Vaan?" Balthier asked with a sleepy voice while he scratched the back of his head.

The boy seemed to act uncomfortable, he let out a nervous laughter, "I'm sorry, but eh, I need to ask you something." The pirate nodded and signed him to come in. Vaan hesitated, but decided to enter Balthier's room anyway.

The latter closed the door and sat himself down on his bed. The Rabanastran carefully sat down on the edge of the bed.

"So, what is so important that you had to wake me up?" the brunette asked the blonde, who anxiously kept staring at his feet. Vaan's nerves obviously took control of him, since his cheeks reddened and he still refused to look Balthier in the eye.

The boy cleared his throat and mumbled something, "It's eh ... about ... eh ... _you_." His cheeks turned even brighter red. The sky pirate found this all very amusing. This wasn't the first time he had this kind of conversation with someone, so he could easily guess where this would lead to.

Balthier wasn't planning on letting Vaan get away that easily as before. He sat up straight and moved a bit closer to the boy. "And?" he pushed the blonde in the direction of his confession.

The Rabanastran started to speak even softer, "And ... I ... eh, well ... I think I ... really, really ... eh ... start to ... eh ... to ... _like ... you_..." Balthier's hart started pounding faster. Did this mean that Vaan lovedhim back? "So, eh .. I was wondering .. if you .. maybe .. eh, like .. feel .. the same?" Vaan's voice had now turned into whisper, barely hearable, but enough to change everything.

The pirate smiled caringly and shook his head slowly, "My dear Vaan" Hearing these words turned the boy's cheeks even more pink. The brunette had heard what he wanted to hear. Vaan cared for him. He _loved_ him.

Balthier leaned towards the Rabanastran boy, who carefully looked the pirate in the eye. His big eyes stood nervous, but determined. The brunette plucked a hair out of Vaan's face and grinned. "Vaan ...," then he closed his eyes and slowly caught the blonde's lips in a kiss.

He felt Vaan shiver a bit, but the pirate didn't back off. Instead, Balthier carefully pushed the boy onto the bed. Their lips were still intertwined in a kiss and the pirate took his time enjoying it. His tongue playfully danced around with the boy's. When they both needed to reach for air, the Archadian let go of the blonde. _His blonde._

The pirate opened his eyes. Thanks to their whirling on the bed, Balthier now leaned completely over Vaan. _Of course; he's the leading man. _The sky pirate started to softly kiss the boy's neck. Little pecks of love. The blonde was curling beneath him and he let out a soft moan.

_"Well, well, ..."_

Right before the brunette went for the boy's lips again, he murmured something into the blonde's ear; "I love you Vaan."

The Rabanastran willingly went along with everything. Up until when the pirate started to fumble at the boy's pants. Vaan's hands immediately stopped his', "No Balthier ..." he whispered. The pirate opened his eyes and looked at the boy, who answered his unspoken question, "Don't. I don't want to," The blonde's eyes shifted around, embarrassed, doing anything to avoid the brunette's look.

Balthier caught Vaan's eyes; "There is one thing you must understand, boy ..." The pirate spoke in a very strict and demanding way. "Sky pirates always get what they want."

Without a single warning, the brunette locked his lips back onto Vaan's. His hands quickly went for the boy's pants again. Balthier wasn't planning on letting his treasure get away. He was a pirate; the means would justify the cause. The blonde was protesting heavily; he tried to push the pirate aside, but he was too strong for him. "Let go of me!" the boy yelled out, but his cry was muffled by another kiss. The brunette definately did not plan to do such a thing and was trying to keep him still.

Then suddenly, someone banged on the door and yelled: "Balthier! We need you in the cockpit!"

This caught the pirate of guard, who turned his head towards the door. Vaan took notice of this and punched the man on his nose. Balthier yelled out in pain and in a reflex, his hands went to his sore nose, giving the boy an opportunity to get away. Bursting out in tears, Vaan ran out of Balthier's cabin as fast as he could. The pirate touched his nose, to find out it was bleeding. He cursed under his breath as he got up and hasted himself outside as well.

Basch awaited him with raised eyebrows, "What did you say to make that kid cry?"

The pirate sighed and shook his head, "Nothing."

The elder man looked at him with disbelief and pointed at the sky pirate's bleeding nose, "Are you certain you didn't say anything?"

Wiping away the blood, the brunette sighed again, "I told you; it's nothing. Now what's wrong?"

Basch held his breath and looked at the pirate for another couple of seconds but then he nodded and the two men took off in the direction of the cockpit. Balthier took a quick glance over his shoulder, but Vaan was nowhere to be seen.

The Archadian could curse himself for letting such a perfect opportunity being ruined.

* * *

**A/N: I hope I haven't let you guys down XD But as you might know by now, I love annoying you and therefore I'll lengthen my story once again :D  
Next stop: Bhujerba ^^**

_Reviewing is like snowboarding. Sure it's nice to pull off a new trick, but as long as nobody says "Damn! That was rad!", you still feel like the noob who straps her/his board for the first time._  
**Got it? Got it! ;)  
**  
(And don't you guys dare to all comment with "Damn! That was rad!" XD )


	6. Thoughts

**A/N: I present you: chapter six! This one took a bit more time, but I'm having a bit of a writer's block right now and I'm not sure where I want to go with this story. Also, I went to an anime convention last weekend, so no time to write ^^  
I also noticed that my chapters are getting shorter every time, it's horrible! I don't know what's happening to me!? Ö  
Ahem.  
Anyway, have fun in Bhujerba :)**

_Special thanks go to my loyal reviewers! I love your comments! ^^ And of course thanks to everyone who has read the story but is too evil to review xD_

Disclaimer: From Larsa until Mjrn, all FFXII inhabitants and their world belong to Square Enix.

* * *

_Chapter vi: Thoughts  
~~~_

Balthier let out a sigh of relief when the sky city of Bhujerba appeared at the horizon. He relaxed a bit in his chair as he grabbed the microphone to speak in it. "Strahl for Bhujerba Control," he spoke clearly. The rest of the entire journey, Vaan had hidden himself somewhere. The brunette had tried not to think too much about it, but it irritated him in the back of his mind.

"Bhujerba Control here," a voice with a thick accent answered trough the microphone.

The pirate cleared his throat and answered back, "Strahl approaching Bhujerba and asking permission to land." It was a standard procedure that happened in every city where there was an aerodrome. Balthier looked outside the window to his left and could catch a glimpse of the ocean that stretched out beneath them.

"Permission granted to land in the aerodrome, dock seven," the thick accent replied.

It was quite crowded in the airspace above the sky city, mostly cargo ships departing with a stock of nethecite which came from the mines. Carefully, Balthier landed his airship at the to him designated dock. He turned off the switches and tapped on the dashboard in front of him, "Well done, my girl," he whispered. Airship or not, he respected what was his.

"Right." the pirate said as he stood up and turned towards Basch, "I'll be off arranging myself a place to spend the night, we'll meet here tomorrow morning," he said while he straightened his cuffs.

Basch looked surprised, "You're not staying in the airship?" he asked the pirate.

The latter let out a small laughter, "If I _can_ sleep in a proper room, then so I will. But feel free to do whatever you like," the answer was. Basch nodded.

"And should you see the boy, inform him as well, would you?" Balthier asked Basch as he left the cockpit.

When the sky pirate exited the airdrome, he was surprised to see the amount of Imperial soldiers that were marching trough the streets. Even in Rabanastre, which was officially controlled by Archadia now, weren't that much soldiers to be seen. _"So much for the sky city's neutral image towards the war between Archadia and Nabradia,"_ Balthier thought as he made his way trough the crowded streets towards The Cloudborne Tavern.

Inside the tavern it was as crowded as it was outside. No wonder, actually. The Cloudborne was visited by Imperials, miners and it was the secret headquarters of the Resistance in Bhujerba. There were few actual tourists in this city, so it wasn't any problem getting a room. After he received a key from the bartender, Balthier made his way up to the chambers.

The rooms here were quite a bit larger then the ones in the Sandsea and they had double sized beds. The reason for this was quite simple. Cloudborne Tavern was oft visited by lonely men looking for company and the money-grubbing owner of the pub had found a way to fulfill the needs of his costumers.

The sky pirate let himself fall down on the bed. He sighed and closed his eyes; it had been a very wearying day. Not only the flight had made him tired, the whole thing that was going on with Vaan wasn't making things easier as well. "_What is it that he wants anyway,_" Balthier asked himself.

Another sigh as he sat up straight again, this wasn't going to work. The Archadian stood up and decided to head downstairs. Everything was better than being alone with his wandering thoughts.

Since it would be slightly inappropriate, even for a pirate, to get drunk this time of day, Balthier chose to go for a walk. _Bad idea._ Having nobody to talk to or mock with, the pirate had no other choice than to face his thoughts.

Frustrated, he kicked away an empty bottle that lay on the street. Of all people, of course he had to fall in love with a boy who was obviously still troubled with his own feelings. _Why did he even had to fall in love in the first place?_

When the Archadian looked up, he found himself standing on Kaff Terrace. Except for himself and a group of women, the plaza was empty. _"Perfect, even more peace and quiet ..,"_ Balthier thought while letting out a sigh. He walked up to the edge of the Terrace and closed his eyes, the wind caressing his face.

Back in the days, when Fran and him had become partners and the world of piracy had opened itself to them, everything was so much less complicated. So many times had he spent the night with whoever he liked. Sure, the occasional problems occurred, but he was a _sky pirate_. He could care less.

This time it was different. Every time he closed his eyes, he could see that blonde hair. Hear that laugh. He could nearly swear that he could smell that typical scent that the boy carried with him. It reminded the pirate of the sea. Maybe it was the Dalmascan sand that caused it, but every time Balthier smelled it, it was as if he was in Balfonheim, overlooking the ocean. This time it was love.

"I hope you're not planning to jump down. That could become troublesome for the rest of us, you are the captain of that airship after all."

A familiar voice brought the Archadian back to the present. He glanced in the direction of the voice and grinned when he saw who it was. "Are you certain it is wise to show yourself out in the open? You are supposed to be dead after all," Balthier replied.

Basch had to laugh, "As far as I know, everyone still believes I'm safely tucked away underneath the earth."

"So, is there a reason why you decided to grace me with your company?" One way or another Balthier could already guess what this would be about. The way Vaan and himself had left his cabin in the airship last night, one in tears and the other with blood dripping from his nose, the pirate understood why Basch would want to talk.

A faint smile appeared on the older man's face but it quickly disappeared again. "I presume you already know what I want to talk about?"

The pirate slowly nodded his head, "I got this hunch ..."

"Vaan," Basch said, pronouncing every letter with care.

Balthier could feel the eyes of the former stare at him. "Seems my hunch was correct," he mumbled as he let out a sigh. The sky pirate looked the other man in the eye.

Looking a bit uncomfortable about asking, Basch averted his glance from Balthier, "What exactly is going on between him and you?"

_Touché old man._

There was no point in hiding it anymore. If he lied about it now, it would probably only cause him more trouble later on. Besides, what could Basch do? If he couldn't live with Balthier's _preferences_, than he could easily kick him out of his airship. They were grown men, for Occuria's sake, they should be able to talk about everything as adults.

Balthier cleared his throat, there was no turning back now.

"Well ..."

* * *

**A/N: D  
Actually there's only one reason why I ended the story where I did. I couldn't come up with a dialogue between B&B (omgosh .. XD) that made sense, so I decided to let it rest for a while.  
Stay with me guys .. more Bhujerba coming up next XD**

_Reviewing is like Pokémon. The more you have of them, the better you can improve your skills. Gotta catch em all~_  
**Got it? Got it! ;)**


	7. Hesitation

**A/N: I present to you: a new chapter of "On Treasury". I finished writing it about 15 minutes ago (depending on how long it will take to write this note) and I've been busy with it for a while, so I apologize for any grammatical errors ..  
All the comments you guys made on Basch being the worried father, I guess it somehow sneaked into this chapter even more XD I'm sorry, but in my eyes Basch is way more adult then Balthier, so it's not possible for me to write a conversation where they talk on the same level :P**

Right.

_All my sweet reviewers: I thank thee 8D  
Seriously, your comments make me smile and keep me going ^^d_

Disclaimer: All the marks and the people they are hunted by - mostly Vaan, I suppose, but anyway - (and of course the entire world of Ivalice) belong to Square-Enix.

* * *

_Chapter vii: Hesitation  
~~~_

"Well ... I honestly don't know myself," Balthier had to admit while he sighed. Now that Basch confronted him directly, he had no other choice than to think about what Vaan really meant to him. Sure, the pirate cared a great deal for the blonde teen, but it was not like they were lovers. There had been that one time in the Strahl, but we all know how that turned out.

The Archadian let his head drop and stared at the ground.

"But there is something, right? I am no blind man, Balthier," the elder man asked while he frowned his eyebrows.

The sky pirate rolled his eyes, uneasy, because he didn't really know what attitude he had to give himself. He felt like he was back to being a teen. Standing in between his two brothers, facing their father, while making up excuses as for why they had been hiding under a table in a pub, trying to catch a glimpse of a woman's underwear.

Basch coughed, as a sign he was waiting for Balthier to give an answer.  
_The same irritating habit as his own father,_ the pirate realized.

"You're not planning on giving up, are you?" the Archadian said while he put up a wry laugh.

The other shook his head as he smiled, "Nope. Besides, if you talk about it, you will feel relieved afterwards."

"Alright then ... _father_." The two men burst out in laughter. The group of women that was standing further away threw surprised looks in their direction, but they took no notice of it.

"For some time now, I have had these feelings whenever I'm around that boy. Every time I'm in his neighborhood, my brain stops working," Balthier said.

Talking about his feelings to someone else, made everything sound so definite. He had no other choice than to accept everything he said himself.

"When I'm near that boy," the pirate continued his confession, "I just go mad with desire. I want to touch him, to hold him, to kiss him, to .." The brunette waved his hand in the air and let out a nervous laughter, "_You get the idea ..._"

Basch let out a laugh himself and nodded. Even though he wanted to aid the pirate and make him feel a bit better, he didn't need to know all the details.

"Right," the pirate said as he turned round and planned to leave Kaff Terace.

The elder man looked up surprised and he ran up to the other, who stopped and crossed his arms.

Not awaiting Basch's complaining, Balthier started talking, "I think that's about enough chitchatting about my emotions. I'm a man, Basch. Feelings aren't a popular topic."

"_And you remind me too much of my father,"_ he added in thought.

A compassionate smile on Basch's behalf; "But at least you don't have those feelings all cramped up anymore." He put his hand on the pirate's shoulder, "You should talk to him, Balthier. Dancing around the problem isn't going to solve it ..." He let go of he brunette's shoulder and awaited a cunning reply.

Balthier cocked his head to the side and glanced at the other while he put up a smile, "I guess I should thank you for your advice then ..."

"If you buy me a glass of Madhu, then I shall consider us even," Basch said with a wink.

With a small nod of his head, the pirate turned round and decided to head for the aerodrome. He roughly guessed that Vaan was still hiding there. They had to talk, even though Balthier wasn't fond of the idea at all.

**x0x**

"Look, I know you're in there, these doors don't lock themselves." The pirate sighed as he knocked on the door of Vaan and Basch's sleep compartment again. "All I want to do is talk, honestly."

There was some murmuring on the other side of the door, "What makes you think I can still trust you after what happened?"

A pain struck Balthier's chest. The boy was right, he shouldn't have done what he had done. It became painfully clear to him that winning Vaan's trust back would be a tough nut to crack.

"I realize that what I have done is wrong. And I'm sorry, but ...," the pirate tried his best to talk some reason into the blonde.

Vaan interrupted him, "You can fancy talk all you want, I'm not letting you in."

"Fine, just hear me out then," Balthier decided. He came this far and wasn't planning on giving up. He had found the courage this time, so it would be now or never.

"Putting the things that I did aside for a moment, what I said to you at that time, I did mean it." _"Keep breathing Balthier, you're doing fine,"_ he pepped himself up.

"And I still mean them. I honestly do love you Vaan."

There was a complete silence on the other side of the door. It was killing Balthier. "If you're done ignoring me and you want to talk anyway ... I'm staying at the Cloudborne."

With his head dropped, fighting against the tears that welled up behind his eyes, the pirate left his airship. This was awful. He felt even worse than before.

"_Stupid Basch. I told him talking wasn't my thing ..."_

**x0x**

By the time Balthier came out of his room to get himself a drink downstairs, the evening had set in. The Cloudborne Tavern was already cramped with people, even more than there were during daytime. The pirate found himself a small table near the door and ordered his first Madhu of the evening. _Homebrew of course, not the silly import that they served you in the rest of Ivalice._

With a gloomy face, the Archadian took little sips of his drink. Everywhere around him, people where laughing and drinking.

When Balthier had decided to head back upstairs, the door opened for the fifteenth time since he had seated himself - he had been counting - and the person that entered nearly caused the brunette to drop his glass.

Their eyes locked onto each other. Almond versus ocean green.

"Vaan ..." Balthier whispered softly.

The boy made his way trough the crowd until he had reached the pirate's table. The brunette noticed that the blonde wasn't able to walk straight. Balthier rolled his eyes and sighed, _"I guess someone found my emergency supply of rum ..."_ he thought to himself.

"So you want to talk!?" Vaan yelled with slurred speech.

The pirate sadly shook his head, "Not while you're like this. You're drunk, Vaan."

The teen's face was red of excitement, "I'm not!" He contradicted with growing fury.

"Go to bed. Your hangover won't be much of a help when we're going to save your girlfriend tomorrow," Balthier tried to calm the teen down as he stood up.

Tears started rolling down the boy's cheeks. Making angry gestures with his free arm he continued shouting: "Shut up! You don't know anything about me!"

Getting a bit irritated by Vaan's behavior, Balthier tried to calm him down again: "Look, I ..."

Letting go of the chair and choking back his tears, the blonde lowered his voice, "Shut up .." Without any sign of warning, the blonde stepped forward and crushed his lips against the brunette's. The kiss was filled with the saltiness of Vaan's tears and the odor of alcohol.

The teen backed away, leaving Balthier speechless.

The blonde's eyes stood emotionless, staring blankly at the surprised skypirate. "That's what you do right ..." he mumbled without looking away, "... kissing drunken people?"

To Balthier, all other noises had faded away to being a soft buzzing in the background. A bitter smile appeared around Vaan's mouth and before the pirate realized it, the teen had already pushed trough the crowd towards the door.

He quickly tried to follow him but when the Archadian opened the door, the only thing he could hear in the darkness, was the ticking of Vaan's boots on the bricks as he disappeared into the night.

* * *

**A/N: So, I normally don't do timeskipping, but I really didn't feel like writing down what uninteresting things Balthier did in between XD;; If you want to know anyway: he was probably busy sobbing and in every blonde teen he saw in Bhujerba, he saw Vaan. Something like that XD  
And as you might've noticed already, rescuing Penelo isn't top priority for me ^^; Sorry for all you Penelo fans out there .. but she's a big girl, she'll live ;)**

Ah yes, once again more angsty-ing and lenghtening the story. I'm sure some of you wonder if they'll ever end up together. So do I XD  
Just kidding!

Growing tired of Bhujerba already? No!? Good, 'cause me neither 8D

**And damn, what colour are Vaan's eyes? XD;; I tried looking it up, but I found different colours .. so I picked ocean green (I don't know if it makes sense, but roughly translated from Dutch we call it AppleblueSeagreen XD aka, something in between blue and green).  
I'll be shutting up now, this note is way too lenghty already Ö**

_Reviewing is just like eating M&M's crispy (you know, the blue bag): they're both addictive._  
(I know, lame one this time, but I was out of inspiration Dx Oh, and sorry if you're more the original/peanut M&M lover. Or if you're not into M&M's at all, for that matter ..)  
**Got it? Got it!**


	8. An afternoon in Bhujerba

**A/N: This one took a bit longer, but since I need to study for my finals, I hope you don't mind too much ^^  
Also, I've been playing Persona 4 lately, which made me addicted to P4 fanfiction XD;; But no worries, I won't abandon my precious baby!**

**So, without further delay: on to chapter 8!**

**_TsumeLover666, Masantine, Obsidian Thunder and Ana Caroline: thank you very much for reviewing every time! I hope you guys'll stick to the story, 'cause I always look forward to your reviews! ^^v  
_  
Disclaimer: Even though I'd love to own FFXII .. I don't, since Square-Enix beat me to it D: **

* * *

_Chapter viii: An afternoon in Bhujerba  
~~~ _

Balthier woke up to the sound of thumping boots in the room above him. He glanced at the window to find the first sun already crawling from underneath the curtains. This was one of those days that he'd rather spend in the Strahl; eating and getting himself drunk. Sadly enough, that option was out of question. Since of course, his rum was probably all gone. Not to mention that there had to be some saving done today.

"Ah yes, the damsel in distress ..." Balthier mumbled to himself while he got out of the bed.

Dragging himself towards the bathroom to wash his face, Balthier considered the fact of leaving the rescuing to the others. The thought was quickly waved away; a leading man wasn't supposed to even consider such things.

When the cool water touched his face, the pirate started waking up a bit. The dark slumber that hung around him drifted away. He would still have the chance to talk to the boy later, once the problems with Penelo and Ba'Gamnan were dealt with.

_Fight first, talk later.  
Sure the pirate could deal with that sort of reasoning._

After putting his clothes - and of course his gun, you never know - back on, Balthier went downstairs. He decided to head for the market on Khus Skygrounds, supposedly there should be some food to be found there.

Outside the Cloudborne, even though it was still quite early, Bhujerbans had already started waking up and were making their way trough the streets. Even the Imperial guards were already up and running.

"You three go that way! We'll go trough here. He can't be far!" Balthier heard one of them shouting. Probably chasing after a poor lad who didn't do anything wrong.

The pirate shrugged; as long as it wasn't him who was the target, he could care less.

Khus Skygrounds was already filled with people. The little market was a great place to find anything against a low price. In contrary with the over-priced items you found in the shops. It was no use comparing this Bhujerban market to the one in Rabanastre, but if you needed some small goods, this was the place to be.

Balthier walked up to one of the street vendors, who seemed to carry an amount of potions with him. "Just in case the boy gets all reckless trying to save his girl ...," the pirate thought to himself.

"What's the price of the potions you have there?" he asked the salesman.

The man let out a grumpy mutter, "One hundred each."

Balthier raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms, "What a rip-off. I can get them anywhere in Ivalice for just seventy."

The man looked at Balthier and spit on the ground right before his feet, "Why don't you go complaining with your stupid Imperial army?"

Ah, so that was the problem. His looks were quite the giveaway on the fact that he was an Archadian, the skypirate realized.

The pirate rolled his eyes and sighed, "I can't help it either that I was born in a country whose ruler likes to pick a fight. If it bothers you so much then I'll go someplace else ..."

When he was about to turn around, the Bhujerban man cleared his throat. He was obviously displeased with the fact that he had to sell his goods to "the enemy" but it was also clear that he needed the money. "Fine," he mumbled, "I'll sell you three for two thirty."

Balthier smirked, "You're still a rip-off, but I'll take them anyway."

With the potions tucked away near his ammunition, the brunette went to search for something to eat. His eye fell onto a box filled with apples. Fruit? On a Bhujerban market? Ah well, it wasn't like he cared from which these people stole. Again, as long as it didn't involve him, he didn't mind.

"I'll have two of those apples, please," he asked the woman who was tending the stand. She looked at his suspiciously and studied him from top to toe.

"What is it with this city and their hatred for Archadians?" Balthier asked himself, while he waited for the woman to respond.

She abruptly stopped staring at him and put the apples in a little paper bag. "Ninety gil please," she told the pirate with a soft voice. Handing the girl the money and taking the apples in return, Balthier smiled one of his most honest smiles and thanked her.

Meanwhile, the sun had started lighting the streets of Bhujerba and the pirate realized that he should probably be heading to the Strahl to meet with the others. Taking a bite out of the apple, he made his way towards the aerodrome.

**x0x**

With his foot tapping anxiously on the floor and taking a last bite out of his second apple, Balthier sat next to Basch and Fran, waiting until Vaan would show up.

Basch stood up and started pacing up and forth in the aerodrome.

After swallowing the last bit of apple, Balthier waved at Basch and laughed; "You're tiring yourself."

The elder let out a sigh, he was clearly irritated; "It's that bloody boy who's tiring me. I'm a reasonable man, Balthier, but only so far ..." He stopped in front of Balthier and crossed his arms, "Why didn't you sort things out like I told you?"

Surprised by his words, the pirate stood up, looking the other in the eye. "I beg your pardon? For the record, it was _him_ who didn't want to talk."

Basch let out a displeased laughter, "Can you blame him? After getting assaulted by-"

"What!?" the skypirate interrupted him furiously while he pushed the other man away. "You have no idea what happened. So don't you even dare to speak as if you were there!"

Angrily the brunette pushed himself past Basch and headed for the exit of the aerodrome. He could hear Fran shouting, "Balthier! Where are you going?" Even when she yelled, her voice was still gracious.

"I'm going to look for the kid. What else!?" the pirate retorted, keeping his eyes for the exit. Even if he had to spend the entire day searching for that blonde haired orphan, he would find him and this time he would make sure that Vaan wouldn't get away before they had a decent chat.

**x0x**

After indeed spending most part of the day searching for the boy, Balthier had nearly given up. Walking trough every street seven times, checking every shop trice and having a short break in the Cloudborne, the pirate had started to suspect that Vaan had left Bhujerba by cargo airship.

The Archadian was standing in the shadow, leaning against the wall of a house, when suddenly a hand curled around his wrist and pulled him backwards into an alley.

With his free hand, Balthier pulled his gun out of it's holster and as he turned it around, he pointed it at his "assaulter".

"Great. So now you're trying to kill me?"

As soon as he saw the blonde hair, those blue eyes and heard that taunting voice, he realized that it was only Vaan who was standing in front of him. Even though it could be called quite the miracle that he had finally found the boy. _Or did the boy find him?_

"Just necessary precautions ...," the pirate grinned as he put his gun back into the holster. The grin was put away together with it.

Clearing his throat, Balthier looked apologetic, "Vaan we-"

"-need to talk. Yeah, probably," the blonde finished his sentence while scratching the back of his head.

The pirate nodded in agreement. "I ... I truly am terribly sorry for what happened back in the Strahl. I think I just couldn't hold myself any longer." He hoped with all his heart, that the boy would want to listen to his apologies this time. The answer he got, therefore, surprised him quite a bit.

"I suppose it's also a bit my fault," Vaan whispered while he diverted his look to the ground. "I should've told you right away how I felt about eh ... _you_."

Blinking his eyes in surprise, Balthier answered, "That might've ... eh ... avoided certain misunderstandings."

The Rabanastran teen looked up and the pirate could see that he had a guilty look in his eyes. This struck Balthier as odd; wasn't he the evildoer here?

With faintly reddened cheeks, Vaan continued; "What I don't want you to misunderstand is what I told you back then."

Suppressing a grin, and pointing out to himself that this wasn't the time to make jokes, the brunette looked as if he couldn't quite follow the situation. "What are you talking about?" he asked the boy, who obviously had no idea that the Archadian was toying with him.

The teen's cheeks flushed an even brighter red and his voice was but a mere whisper, "_I love you too, Balthier._"

The brunette wondered if he should dare to kiss the blonde. "It'll only be a kiss. No funny tricks this time," he told himself.

Carefully, he took a step closer to the boy, to see if he would turn away or not. Since Vaan didn't move, Balthier presumed he was alright with the situation and closed in on him. He softly pushed the blonde against the brick wall behind him.

Their eyes met and the pirate slowly moved his head towards the teen. He hesitated for a short second, but then Vaan suddenly crushed his lips onto Balthier's, taking away all doubt. The teen wrapped his arms around the pirate's neck and finally gave in to his desires.

When they both had to reach for air, the blonde whispered; "As long as you realize that what you did is wrong and that you won't escape your punishment."

The brunette had to grin. "I'm looking forward to it," he purred into the boy's ear.

Before Vaan could come up with a clever comeback, Balthier silenced him with another kiss. This afternoon turned out to be more promising than planned earlier.

And then it finally struck Balthier;_ fight first, talk later._

_..._

_"__Shit ... Penelo."_

* * *

**A/N: And so they lived happily ever after .. the end!**

...

**Haha, just kidding ;) No way I'm done ..! My evil mind has loads of ideas concering our two guys. Besides, there hasn't been any lemon yet, so not the time to end a story, right!? xD**

**Right .. eh, before you all go saying "There is no market on Khus Skygrounds!" I KNOW! But since I'm the writer of this fanfic, I've taken the liberty to create a market 8D  
And even though I told you before that I'm not too fond of time-skipping .. I did it again. It's just so useful XD;;**

**See you in chapter 9 ^^**

_Reviewing is like going to a concert. If the band comes up and nobody screams or applauds, I think the poor musicians won't last long.  
_**Got it? Got it! ;)**


	9. Luck

**A/N: Here goes chapter 9! And I'm actually quite proud of this chapter. I have no idea why, but for the first time I actually feel like I finished a chapter properly XD So please, don't go telling this one sucks, I beg of you! D:**

**This is the longest chapter up until now! Might be because of the fact that I'm ill at the moment and I don't have anything better to do ^^;**

**So enjoy~**

_This time, thanks go TsumeLover666 (as always 8D), Masantine, Obsidian Thunder, Original-Elfkin (hurry up with adding the next chapter of your FFXII fanfic! I want to know how it continues x3), Ana Caroline, RedGoldX3 (I don't know if you read this fic, but you gave me the idea concerning Vaan's vest xD) and everyone who has read and reviewed in the past ^^_

**Disclaimer: You know the drill .. I solemnly swear that I do not own Final Fantasy XII.**

* * *

_Chapter ix: Luck  
~~~_

Balthier yawned and stretched himself as he walked trough the quiet streets of Bhujerba. After certain delays, today the party would finally set out to save Penelo. The pirate would rather invest his time in some other _teenager,_ but it couldn't be helped. Besides, the teen we're talking about here would probably brutally kill him if he decided not to go save the girl. _ Or actually, the boy would brutally kill himself - or at least get into some kind of trouble - trying to save his friend on his own._

Whistling a tune, the pirate entered the Bhujerban aerodrome. He was so glad that Vaan and himself had been able to sort some things out. As a true gentleman, of course he knew better now, the pirate hadn't pushed things and had spent another night at the Cloudborne while he had offered the boy his room in the Strahl.

Being as quiet as possible, Balthier sneaked into his airship, to find everyone still sound asleep. He gave two small knocks on the door of his _- for the time being; Vaan's -_ sleeping compartment.

"Vaan? Are you awake?" the brunette spoke. He didn't want anyone else to wake up, so he had to keep his voice down. The pirate was wondering if he should knock again when the door opened.

A still sleepy, not wearing anything except a pair of boxers, Vaan was rubbing his eyes. Clearly, he didn't expect Balthier to be standing in front of him.

"Balthier?" he murmured in surprise.

For a moment, the two kept staring at each other. The brunette had to try his hardest not to jump onto the boy this instant. Not just the fact that the boy was only wearing his boxers made Balthier nearly go crazy with lust. The fact that the blonde's hair was all messy and the sleepy look that he had in his eyes, all contributed to the fact that Balthier found this teen very _irresistible._

Vaan diverted his eyes from Balthier and a red glow spread across his cheeks. "Stop looking at me like that ...," the boy whispered ashamed.

The pirate snapped out of his daydream and raised his eyebrow, "Like what?" he asked in surprise.

"Don't even try to act like you don't know what I'm talking about," the blonde retorted with a croaky voice. He pushed the door open a bit further and turned around to walk back to the bed. With a sigh, he ducked underneath the sheets again.

The brunette entered the room and closed the door behind him. He sat himself on the chair that stood next to the bed. With a smile on his lips, he watched the human that lay curled up in his bed.

The boy carefully took a peek at the skypirate and rolled his eyes when he noticed that the man was still looking at him. "Why can't you stop staring at me ..." the blonde mumbled.

The smile on Balthier's face widened even more, "Do you even need to ask?" he answered mysteriously. The brunette blinked his eyes and he stood up, still smiling.

He walked up to the bed and sat down on the side, next to Vaan's posture. Gently, the brunette ruffled trough the blonde's hair. While he softly caressed the teen's cheek he whispered his answer; "It's because you're so _cute_."

Vaan's cheeks flushed even brighter red and with a loud "hmpf" he pulled the blanket back over his face.

Balthier had to refrain from laughing wholeheartedly, in order to keep the others from waking up. "You do know that your friend is waiting to be rescued," the pirate said with a grin on his face.

The Rabanastran teen immediately pushed the blankets of him and sat up straight in the bed. "Penelo!" he shouted.

The pirate flashed a grin in his direction; "Ah. So you _do_ remember."

The teen had his answer ready, but the skypirate put his finger on the boy's lips in order to hush him. The latter put up big eyes when Balthier leaned in closer on him. He was about to close his eyes and wait for the other's lips to touch his, when someone knocked lightly on the door. The knock was followed by a familiar voice.

"Balthier," the Viera's muffled voice sounded on the other side of the door.

Agitated, Balthier sighed as he turned his head towards the door, "I'll be right with you Fran."

He turned his head back towards Vaan and gave him a swift kiss him on his lips. As the brunette got up he smiled at the boy, "Next time," he said with a wink, causing the boy to blush again.

"Get yourself dressed," Balthier said as he opened the door and stepped into the corridor.

"Ah Fran," the pirate nodded in her direction as he closed the door behind him. "How'd you know I was here?"

"Have you remembered nothing about the Viera and their excellent sense of hearing?" she stated as she turned round towards the exit door.

"Of course," Balthier said to himself as he made a mental note not to forget about that anymore.

**x0x**

Balthier quickly grabbed Vaan's wrist and pulled him back, "Now's not the time!" he whispered in the boy's ear.

Hiding themselves from sight, the two of them, Basch and Fran were watching the party that was standing a couple of feet away from them. The Bhujerban Marquis, an Imperial Judge and a soldier, a black haired boy and Penelo.

Vaan was struggling to get out of Balthier's grip. "Lemme go!" he whispered urgently, "I have to save Penelo!"

The pirate was trying his hardest to talk some reasoning into the boy, "There's no way we can take them all on. Be patient!"

The blonde stopped resisting and looked at the company that surrounded Penelo. "It's not like that kid will do anything. I'll take that soldier and the three of you can take those two others," he furiously said, while his hand went for his sword.

The brunette rolled his eyes and pulled the teen further back into the darkness of the Lhusu Mines. "A Judge isn't that easy to defeat. They don't wear that armor because it looks good. It represents the fact that they're the top ranked officers of the Imperial Army," he retorted at least as furious as Vaan.

"Besides," the pirate added, "That boy isn't just any kid. Larsa Ferrinas Solidor. Fourth son to Emperor Gramis ... and brother to Vayne."

The blonde Rabanastran's jaw dropped. He was not as surprised because of _what_ the pirate had said, the fact that he knew it at all left him speechless.

"If you even try as much as lay a finger on that boy, your life would be forfeit," Basch's voice came from the shadow behind him.

Fran too, agreed with this; "One does not simply kill the future emperor of Archadia."

The skypirate nodded in agreement as he walked back into the sunlight. The party had taken Penelo with them and had walked back into the city. Surely, they would take good care of her. If they had wanted to get rid of her, they would've already done so.

Sadly enough, our blonde Rabanastran thought otherwise. "But what if they'll hurt her? I've looked over her since we were kids ..." he muttered as he sunk trough his knees. "She's like a sister to me." He sighed and let his head drop.

Balthier looked at him with the burning desire to hold him in his as arms and to comfort him. However, since they weren't alone, this situation needed a different approach.

The pirate cleared his throat, which turned the attention of three pairs of eyes towards him. "We'll wait until nightfall and sneak into the Marquis' estate," he declared. The brunette could kick himself for proposing such a preposterous idea, but at this time, all he wanted to do was make Vaan feel better.

Basch exchanged a look with Fran, who raised her eyebrow. "Why would we do such a thing?" the elder man asked the pirate. "It's a reckless idea. And how on earth ..." Basch cut off his own sentence as if he'd understood what this was all about. He shifted his eyes from Balthier to the boy, and back.

"I see ..."he mumbled while a small grin appeared on his face, "I see ..."

Vaan however, in all his excitement upon hearing the pirate's plan, had jumped onto his feet. "Really? You would really do this for me?" the blonde asked him anxiously.

"For the girl - yes," Balthier corrected him while he quickly glanced at Basch, who still had a sheepish grin wiped out over his face.

The blonde teen laughed and his eyes started sparkling with joy, "Thanks Balthier!" he shouted. For a minute it seemed like the blonde wanted to embrace the pirate out of gratitude, but he quickly changed his mind, still not sure about how things stood between him and Balthier. Not to mention the fact that Fran and Basch were there too and they definitely couldn't know about his feelings.

_Oops._

A faint blush appeared on his cheeks however, betraying his original plans. This made Balthier chuckle. "Ah, sure, no problem," he somewhat waved it away.

"So, I take it we will split up for now and meet each other again at twilight?" Basch asked the skypirate, who nodded in response. The former Captain threw him another meaningful glare as he walked up the stairs leading back to Bhujerba.

The brunette caught the sound of Fran tapping her foot and turned round to see what she wanted to say to him; "Fran?"

The Viera rolled her eyes and walked up to him. "I hope you're not planning on getting us all killed with these rash actions of yours," she whispered in his ear and gave a small nod backwards, in the direction of Vaan.

"Dear Fran, have my actions ever let you get killed before?" Balthier whispered back with another sly grin forming itself around his lips.

Fran sighed exaggeratedly, "No, but I bid you to not taunt the Gods. Your luck will run out some day ..." She went with her hand trough her hair and shook her head. After throwing another look over her shoulder in the teen's direction she followed Basch example and took off in the direction of Bhujerba as well.

"What was that all about?" Vaan asked curiously while he scratched the back of his head.

"Oh, nothing really," Balthier averted any further questioning. "You know, _women_," he added, as he rolled his eyes and added an exaggerated arm gesture.

The blonde teen laughed a bit as he looked away. Apparently, he had realized that it was just the skypirate and him who were left. Feeling a bit uncomfortable, he cleared his throat as he carefully took a step backwards.

The pirate had noticed this of course; "Why are you backing away?" he asked the boy directly.

"I-I'm not backing away," the blonde stuttered out as a pink blush started to attack his cheeks. Unconsciously, he took another step backwards.

Balthier grumbled behind his teeth and pointed at the teen's feet; "See. You're doing it again. Am I frightening you?"

Vaan, who had been avoiding the elder man's gaze all this time, looked up into his eyes and felt his cheeks reddening even more. "I'm not afraid of you! It's just ... you can be very ... _intimidating_." Ashamed of what he had just admitted, the Rabanastran looked away, searching for a way out. A way out of this conversation, out of Balthier's mental grip and out of his shame.

With a quick step - _and without Vaan even noticing_ - Balthier walked up to the teen, who found himself now standing between an intimidating skypirate and a pillar.

_So far for finding a way out__._

"So, intimidating, am I?" the brunette whispered into the blonde's ear, pinning the boy's hands against the cold stone behind him.

Anxiously biting his lip, the Rabanastran nodded his head, "Yes. A lot."

The pirate gave a small kiss on the boy's earlobe and smirked when the blonde let out a gasp as a reaction to it. "I think I like it better that way," he said, right before picking the teen's lips as his next target.

One way or another, Vaan managed to get his hands out of Balthier's grip and now wrapped them around the man's waist, pulling him closer. The pirate whirled his one hand trough the blonde's hair and had placed the other against the pillar, should he need support to stand up straight. _Should his muscles refuse to cooperate because they were directing their attention to other things._

The fact that the blonde was so shy when they were just talking was made up by his kissing _extraordinaire_.

Meanwhile, Balthier did his best to ignore the fact that he could rip off Vaan's sorry excuse of a vest right away. If he wanted - _which he did_ - he could undo all of the boy's clothes easily. But since they were still outside, where everybody could see them, that might not be such a good idea. As Fran had put it so lovely earlier, it was a bad idea to go provoking the Gods.

Exactly why a new idea struck the pirate's mind: "You know, we could continue this someplace else," Balthier purred in between two kisses. "Someplace more ... private."

He didn't really knew what Vaan's reaction would be like, since he expected the boy to be a bit more distant. Especially after that little mistake he made back there. But since it didn't hurt to just _ask_ him, he had taken his chance anyway.

"_Strahl. Now,"_ the teen demanded with a hungry voice.

The answer the pirate got was absolutely not what he had presumed it would be, but Balthier wasn't complaining one bit. He grabbed the boy's wrist and ran up the stairs in the direction of the aerodrome.

While they were running trough Bhujerba's crowded streets, the Archadian felt his blood pulsating like mad and he thanked the Gods for giving him some extra credits worth of luck.

* * *

**A/N: Ooh~ I wonder what will happen next time 8] Cookies for everyone who guesses right! XD**

**And yeah, poor Penelo. Not that I care .. D**

_Reviewing is like recharging your cellphone. It's a necessity once in a while, otherwise you'll run out of battery and you'll be stuck in the somewhere because you weren't able to reach your friend to ask if he could pick you up.  
**I know, vague x| But if you get it, then you got it ^^**_

**And I wish this site would stop killing my single line breaks D:**


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